The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-12-15
ATTEMPTING A CHANGE OF FRONT.

The President, by his free trade message
has undertaken to execute with the Demo-
cratic party what is considered very diff
fcult movement, viz, a change of front in
the face of the enemy. For many years past
the position of the party has been "a tariff
for revenue only" They have constantly
maintained that sufficient revenue for all the
necessary expenses of the government could
be raised by tariff duties, and while firmly
opposing protection, they were willing that
American industry should have whatever ben
eft might incidentally come from strictly
revenue tariff. AS necessary consequence,
they opposed internal revenue taxes. Thus
the Democratic platform of 1884, on which
Mr.. Cleveland was elected, says
Sufficient revenue to pay all the expenses
of the federal government, including pen
sions, interest and principal of the public
debt, can be got under our present system of
taxation, from custom-house taxes on fewer
imported articles.
1.-THE system of direct taxation known as
the internal revenue is war tax.
eve denounce the Republican party for
having failed to relieve the people from crush
ing war taxes"
This denounces internal-revenue taxes,
retention of the tariff for revenue only. It
relies on tariff duties as the only means of
raising revenue, and on a reduction of tariff
duties as means Of increasing the rev.
enue, so as to do away with the internal
taxes. In his letter of acceptance Mr.. Cleve-
land said: II have carefully considered the
platform adopted by the convention, and cor
daily approve the same"
Now comes Mr.. Cleveland and recommends
a total abandonment of tariff for revenue
and the substitution of internal taxes for rev.
enue, with tariff duties for deficiency. He
recommends, first that the government reve-
nue. be based permanently upon internal taxes,
and second, that the tariff, instead of being
made to yield sufficient revenue to pay all
the expenses of federal government" as the
platform of 1884 declared, shall only be made
to yield enough to make up the deficiency of
internal revenue taxes. What would this be?
The total government expenditures in 1886
were 1921, 034, 49, total revenue 1886, 439, 727,
of which 1892, 905. 900 was from tariff duties,
and SIG, sos, 1856 from internal revenue The
President now proposes, instead of abolishing
these ''war taxes, to retain them and make UP
the balance necessary for government expend-
lures by tariff duties. Thus, instead of a
tariff for revenue, he recommends a tariff for
deficit This is complete change of front
The effect of the Presidents recommendation
is to make present of whatever reduction
m the tariff there may be to foreign countries,
and to do this at the expense of American
industries. Formerly he and his party were
committed to the policy of raising the entire
government revenue, about $500. 900, 900 a
year, by tariff duties, laid exclusively for
revenue, and with such incidental protection
to American industries might be necessari-
ly involved. Now he proposes raise only about
$3.50, 900, 900 by tariff duties and to reduce
the incidental protection in the same ratio.
The attempt is to transfer the Democratic
party from a platform of tariff for revenue
only to one of internal revenue taxes and
tariff for deficiency, with only such protection
to American industry as might necessarily
inhere in that kind of tariff.